TRAVIS COUNTY, Texas — The Travis County District Attorney’s office scheduled a new trial date for Austin Police Officer Daniel Sanchez, months after a jury deadlock resulted in a mistrial.
The DA’s office said the retrial is scheduled for August 10, 2026, in the 299th District Court.
The announcement comes roughly three months after a jury deadlocked in November in Sanchez’s deadly conduct trial, and less than two months after an appellate court overturned a conviction in a related case against Austin officer Christopher Taylor.
Sanchez shot and killed 33-year-old Rajan Moonesinghe in November 2022 after responding to a 911 call reporting Moonesinghe walking around his South Austin duplex with a rifle and firing shots. Prosecutors have argued the shooting was an excessive use of force. Sanchez’s defense team said Moonesinghe posed an immediate deadly threat.
In the November trial, jurors deliberated for approximately 14 hours over two days before the judge declared a mistrial.
Combined Law Enforcement Associations of Texas (CLEAT) said its attorneys were in the courtroom when the retrial date was announced and condemned the decision.
“Jose Garza is doubling down on his efforts to politicize and persecute the men and women who protect the residents of Travis County,” said CLEAT Executive Director Robert Leonard. “While thousands of criminals have gone free since Garza took office, law enforcement officers have been aggressively pursued even after juries and appellate courts have rejected the basis for which the charges were brought.”
Leonard said CLEAT’s legal team would continue defending Sanchez and expressed sympathy for the officer and his family, who he said had endured “years of unnecessary delay and agony.”
CBS Austin reached out to the Travis County District Attorney’s office for comment.
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“Our hearts continue to break for the Moonesinghe family, who are still waiting for justice for their son, Rajan,” said Travis County District Attorney José Garza. “Our Civil Rights Unit is prepared to proceed with a new trial and present evidence and facts surrounding the excessive force that led to Rajan Moonesinghe’s death.”